Marchen Awakens Romance - Invader Zim Edition
by SaurusRock625
Summary: Human AU! Zim is sent to save the fairy land of Marchen from the evil Chess Army. Not the best summary, I know.
1. Chapter 1

_**I figured this would be a new and unique kind of story. Please read on and enjoy.**_

_***I don't own Invader Zim, nor do I own Marchen Awakens Romance.***_

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_**Dialogue Key**_

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"Version 1: Hammer Arm!" = Regular Speech

'_Version 2: Bubble Launcher!' = Someone's Thoughts_

"**Version 3: Gargoyle!" = Someone Yelling**

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_**Dreams and Arguments**_

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In a world parallel from our own, a lone young man stands in the middle of a forest. On his finger is a silver ring that has the appearance of a great door held shut by chains. Guarding this door is a spirit with the face of a clown with plus symbols for eyes and its tongue sticking out.

"It's a gamble… but…"

The man steeled his resolve and began to gather a strange energy that's not native to our own world.

"Arm - Do my bidding!"

An aura of power formed around the man as he thrust his arm into the air, sending a pillar of energy rocketing into the sky.

"Bring forth…"

A creeking noise could be heard coming from the ring on the man's finger.

"...The denizen…"

The gates slowly opened just a crack...

"...OF THE OTHER WORLD!"

...And then burst open with a mighty slam! The true power of the artifact has been unleashed by the young man who invoked its power in the first place!

Into the night sky, all anyone would be able to see that's the most noticeable, besides the lovely crescent moon that's currently shining in the sky, is a pillar of magical energy being used to invoke an artifact of great power.

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_**...Elsewhere, In Our World...**_

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"You must draw the holy sword, Heaven's Retribution, from the enchanted stone! It's the only weapon powerful enough to destroy the Demon Lord, Graffen!" exclaimed a female fairy.

Standing before a giant demon wearing tattered black robes was a teenage boy who looks about fourteen years old. We can't clearly see what he looks like just yet, but he appears to be covered in battle scars from previous fights with tough opponents. And the one he's staring down happens to be his toughest opponent yet. A demon that stands at twenty five stories tall and is covered by a tattered white robe. He wears a skull mask and has a pair of ram horns sticking out of his head. Behind him lay the burning remains of what was once a great kingdom.

"Foolish human boy! It's too late to save this kingdom! Just like you failed to save the princess!" gloated the great demon lord.

Held in his skeletal hand is the princess of her kingdom. The very same kingdom that the demon just finished destroying. We can only see a shadow due to the massive flames in the background giving off an ominous light in the darkness of the night time hours. But the lad wasn't scared.

He just stepped up, grabbed the hilt of the sword, and grinned at the demon showing in the shadows faint traces of tanned skin and a bloody slash over his left eye.

"I may die like many heroes before me. But if I should die today, at least I will have died…"

He gripped the hilt of the blade tighter as he prepared to yank it out of the stone.

"...With honor…"

Just as the warrior was about to draw the sword…

***BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGG!***

"**HAH? WHA? WHO?"**

The sound of a school bell ringing snapped a certain high school freshman out of his little daydream. And now that the apparent dream is over, we can see what he looks like quite clearly.

He has tan skin and blue eyes, and is a little on the short side for a boy his age, standing at only "4'7 instead of five feet or higher. He has black hair that naturally has a slicked back appearance, and like in his dream, his skin has a mild tan. He's wearing a white button up shirt and black pants as per the uniform at this Japanese high school, and he seems to have trouble with his vision as he's wearing a pair of eyeglasses with thick, brown rims.

The boy looked down at his hand and saw that he had gripped a ruler in a fashion similar to how one holds a sword while he was daydreaming. The boy sighed as he realized he was dreaming again. But at least he didn't make a fool of himself in class like Dib always does with his talk of aliens, ghosts, bigfoot and the like. He even once accused this young lad of being an alien once, just because he's shorter than everyone else! I mean, come on man! How stupid can you get?

"Have a safe walk home, Zim." said a red haired woman who is obviously the teacher.

The now named Zim acknowledged his sensei with a nod before bowing in farewell. He quickly packed up his homework and any other objects he might need before walking out of the classroom and leaving the school.

'_My name is Zim Irk. Strange name, I know. But it's not the worst. The pathetic thing is that as far as kids my age go, I'm actually below average in everything except book work. I have abysmal stamina, so I can't run laps to save my life. And every time I've tried to push myself past my limits, I end up falling to my knees and puking on the track field whenever I try to go beyond six laps. ...Still, it's enough for my gym teacher, since I'm showing that I want to overcome my own shortcomings. Which is more than I can say for the rest of my class.'_

"Yo, Zim! Come on, I've been waiting forever!"

Looking towards the curb just a block away from the bus stop is a fourteen year old girl who stands about a head taller than Zim. She has purple hair that looks almost like an open mouth with four fangs that are actualy her bangs framing her face. Her hazel eyes are sharp and make her look like she wants to kill someone. And with how often her paranormality obsessed brother annoys her with his obsession, she might as well do so. She's dressed in the standard girl's uniform for the school she and Zim attend which consists of a white shirt with a red neckerchief, a dark blue skirt that stops above her knees, and a pair of brown slip-on shoes.

'_Oh, that's Gaz. She's Dib-Stink's sister and my best friend. She and I actually became friends after she asked me about a prior dream I had, and we became friends right away after that. Having a scientist for a father isn't easy for her, especially with her stupid brother. So maybe she reached out to me out of a subconscious need to socialize with someone who actually understands what she's going through. And to a degree, I do. My mom is busy a lot of the time writing fantasy novels, and my dad went missing when I was just eight years old.'_

"So let me guess," said Gaz as she and Zim walked down to their homes. "You had another dream. What was this one about?"

"Oh, the usual." Zim said, smiling as he remembered his dream. "The fairy land of Marchen. A demon kidnaps a princess. He destroys a kingdom, and I fight him!"

Zim pouted as he remembered how his dream was so rudely interrupted right as it was getting to the good part. The part where he actually fights.

"If I had stayed dreaming a little longer, I would have won…"

"Knowing how you're self taught in karate and judo, I believe you." Gaz commented.

"But you know…" Zim looked at the sky as he reminisced about his past dreams. "...I've been keeping track, and so far I've had that same dream exactly 102 times! I can see the mountains, the rivers, the candy houses and the laughing trees. There's a bird with three heads, and dwarves… and fairies!"

"And do the butterflies talk?" Gaz asked.

"YOU LIE!" Zim said dramatically. "The butterflies don't talk! It's the flowers that talk!"

Zim grinned as he thought more about this fantasy world. A world that he can feel is real. He can feel it in his heart and soul.

"If there really is a world like the one in my dreams, I'd love to go! Just once!" Zim said passionately.

Gaz couldn't help but smile at her good friend. His beliefs in his dreams are pure, innocent, and so full of life. She admitted that it would be hard for someone not to want to be his friend. Well, unless you're Dib, but he's crazy and everyone knows that. And he's got a really big head.

Back at the Membrane household, Dib sneezed and felt like someone was saying he has a big head. He scowled as he mentally denied having a big head.

"Don't worry! I believe you will!"

"Really? You're the only one I've ever trusted when speaking about these dreams, as the others never really want to hear it…" Zim said.

"Well, forget those guys then! After all, I believe in dragons and trolls too!" Gaz said. "But before that…"

Gaz placed a large chocolate bar into Zim's hand and started running off for home as she knows that Zim can get home on his own just fine.

"You need to eat well and get stronger! Otherwise, you'll get clobbered in that world!"

Zim watched as his friend ran off with a silly grin on his face. He doesn't know why, but whenever he thinks about Gaz, his tummy feels all wiggly and crawly inside. Oh well, he'll ask his mom about it later.

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_**...Later That Night…**_

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"The fairy land of Marchen? There's no such place."

The one who just said this is a woman with the same blue eyes as Zim, long auburn hair, and the same tan skin as Zim. This is Miyuki Irk, Zim's mother and an accomplished fantasy writer. Although, she doesn't really believe in any of the fantasy stories she writes. Which is odd, because one would think that one needs to be young at heart if they're to become a fantasy writer. Ah, but I digress.

"BUT 102 TIMES!? THAT'S JUST WEIRD!" shouted Zim at his mother's proclaimation.

"Yeah, yeah. Like your head." Miyuki said as she served dinner. "Got a call from Principal Red earlier. 'Your son is always dreaming!' he said. Which wouldn't bother me so much if you didn't also dream while you're awake."

Having had enough of her mother's attitude, which seems to have gotten worse after Zim's father went missing, the boy slammed his fist on the table as he glared fiercely at the woman who birthed him.

"**WHAT KIND OF MOTHER MAKES IT HER MISSION TO CRUSH HER CHILD'S DREAMS LIKE YOU'RE DOING!? AIN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE A FANTASY WRITER!?"** screeched Zim.

"**I'M A WRITER, NOT A SLACK-JAWED MORON! I WRITE TO PAY FOR YOUR SCHOOLING AND GLASSES!"** Miyuki yelled back, slamming her own fist on the table with just as much force.

Hey, Zim may be strong in karate and judo, but Miyuki teaches those martial arts. Both as a passion, and as a means of supplumental income.

"**THEN I'LL JUST DROP OUT OF SCHOOL! BESIDES, YOU ONLY USE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THOSE DEATH STICKS YOU'RE ALWAYS SMOKING!"** Zim accused.

"**HEY! I DON'T BUY THEM THAT OFTEN! AND ****I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW IT'S HARD TO QUIT ONCE YOU START SMOKING, YA BRAT!"** she yelled back.

"**LIIIEEEEESSSS!"** screamed Zim.

The two continued their contest of vocal strength for a good twenty minutes before their throats got too sore to continue. Their meal together was very tense as Zim refused to even look in his mother's direction and sat away from the table so as to not become a victim of the second-hand smoke. His distancing, however, had hurt Miyuki deeply. She loves her son very, very much and didn't mean to sound like she doesn't want him to dream and have a normal childhood. But she feels it was those fantasies about Marchen that stole away her husband six years ago.

After dinner, Zim retired to his room where he just stayed awake until five minutes past midnight.

'_When I first dreamed of that land, I didn't even count how many times I saw it. But the dreams I had once a day in elementary school (Thank Kami Miss Bitters is no longer in my life! She's scary, and I don't think she's human!) come several times a day now. I've dreamed of stealing medicine from an old witch. Of turning into a bird and flying towards a castle on a cliff. Every night I ask 'What adventures will I have tonight?'. Going to bed is the most exciting part of my life!'_

Zim sat up on his bed and stared at a poster of one of his childhood heroes on his wall. MegaMan. When he was little, he always pretended to be a hero just like MegaMan. He'd be the hero while his dad played the villain. Even his mother would sometimes join in on the fun.

'_...Of course, someday I'll be an adult. I'll go to college, get a job, get married… I'll become a different me. Maybe… I'll have the dreams less and less. Until I've forgotten.'_

Zim grew sad and slightly depressed at that notion.

'_I don't like that! I don't want to grow up! ...Now I'm sounding like Peter Pan…'_

"Could he take me to Neverland just like Wendy?" Zim asked himself.

He scoffed and grinned at that idea, as silly as it was.

"Yeah, sure. There's no such place. Even I know that." Zim said.

He looked over to the corner of his room where his pet Mongoose Dog, Gir, lay asleep as he regained his energy for the next day. And with how hyper he usually is, one would think the genetically engineered hybrid would never run out. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny.

Zim reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the chocolate bar Gaz had given him earlier today and lay back on his bed. He smiled as he remembered how she had encouraged him to get stronger and to continue following his dreams.

'_But it is nice to know that there's at least one person out there in the world who believes in me.'_

Suddenly, everything in Zim's room became pitch black! No! The room itself turned into a black void!

"What trickery is this?" Zim asked out loud.

**"Very soon… THE CONNECTION."** said a distorted voice.

As quickly as it arrived, the voice disappeared and Zim's room returned to normal. The boy sat on his bed utterly flummoxed at what just happened.

"What just happened? Who's voice was that!?" he asked.

But it's a question no one could answer.

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_***To Be Continued…***_

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_**Alright, that ends this chapter of the story! I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought in your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**It looks like I'm finally getting the ball rolling for this story. Let's try to keep up the pace as I keep working on and on!**_

_***I still don't own Invader Zim or Marchen Awakens Romance!**_

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_**Dialogue Key**_

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"Version 1: Hammer Arm!" = Regular Speech

'_Version 2: Bubble Launcher!' = Someone's Thoughts_

"**Version 3: Gargoyle!" = Someone Yelling**

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_**Leaving One World for Another**_

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The next day, Zim sat at his desk pondering the strange dream he had the night before. Although, he can't say for certain if it really was a dream. It felt more like he was having a nightmare, only he wasn't asleep. At least he doesn't think he was asleep.

'_Just what was it that happened last night? Why did my dream only involve a voice and pitch black? Was it even a dream?'_ Zim mentally asked himself.

At first he thought that he should tell the other students in his class about it. After all, it's not often that he shares his dreams, and at least they don't make fun of him for simply dreaming since he doesn't claim those dreams to be real. Unlike Dib with his obsession with the paranormal. But he ultimately decided against it. No point in getting anybody worked up over something that might not have even been a dream in the first place.

"So Zim, you have your 103rd dream last night?" asked a familiar voice as a hand placed itself upon Zim's shoulder.

Said boy looked up to see Gaz standing there with that kind and gentle smile she seems to reserve only for him. The one that always makes his heart flutter like he's swallowed a bunch of butterflies.

"Tell me about it." Gaz requested.

Her smile became infectious as Zim's body stood up on auto pilot.

"Y-Yeah… I'll just tell you." Zim said. "Well…"

Zim thought back to when he and Gaz first met back in elementary school. How she had helped him learn to stand up to the kids who would bully him for being so short, even for a child, and how they eventually became friends through their love of video games and their hatred for Dib. And Zim's dreams seemed to only strengthen that bond of friendship they have.

'_At least there's one person who believes in me.'_

All was right with the world. Until something very unusual happened. And I'm not talking about Vice Principal Purple puking on his beloved doughnuts.

"**CONNECTED!"**

The entire classroom was suddenly engulfed in pitch black void! The very same void that Zim was in while he was dreaming the night before! Naturally, this whole thing caused all the students in the class to begin freaking out as something like this never happens.

"**What? A black-out?"**

"**I'm scared!"**

"**Wha! Wha!"**

These are the various screams from the students who had gathered for the day in class. All except for three of them. Zim and Gaz, as they're too surprised to actually scream.

...And, unfortunately, Dib. The paranormal obsessed boy was once again trying to prove that Zim is an alien, this time by using what's currently happening against Zim.

"**Look, everyone! You're all my witnesses! He IS an alien! I have him on tape! I have all of you on tape winessing it!"** Dib yelled like a madman.

That is, of course, until one of the panicking students knocked Dib's camera out of his hands and accidentally stepped on it. This not only destroyed the camera, but ruined all the film within it. And this, in turn, made the footage worthless to Dib.

**"Tunnel open!"**

Everyone watched as a phantom clown, the same as the one on that relic from the previous chapter, appeared in the middle of the room. He's still guarding his massive gate, but now he is very much alive and is causing everyone to panic even more. Even Dib couldn't help but scream and run away.

**"M-M-M-MONSTER!"**

**"QUICK! EVERYONE GET OUTSIDE!"**

**"IT'S NORMAL OUTSIDE THE ROOM!"**

Not wanting to possibly be killed by the very thing that has caused mass mayhem and panic, all of the other students rushed out of the classroom. But Gaz simply fell back on her rear, her legs giving out from under her as the reality of the situation sunk in. And yet, she found herself even more surprised as she was lifted into the air by Zim, who is now carrying her bridal style. An admirable feat for one who has such physical ineptitude.

"Do you see it, Gaz?" Zim asked. "It wasn't a dream!"

Beyond the gate, Zim could see everything from his past dreams. The mountains, forests, talking animals, and even a witch flying around on her broomstick. Everything Zim has ever dreamed about: it's all right here behind this gate. Guarded by a clown ghost.

"It's that world! But this time it's not a dream!" exclaimed a happy Zim.

**"You… can see?"** the phantom clown asked, caught off guard by this development.

"I… don't see anything. But Zim can? Can only he see this world?" Gaz asked herself.

The ghostly guardian suddenly tossed a dice to the ground. The cube rolled around the floor a little bit before stopping on the roman numeral for the number one.

**"It say '1'! Only one can come!"** the phantom said before giggling a little bit. **"You can see, yes? You want to run away from your own world, yes? So tunnel opens for you! Walk in!"**

**"GET OUTTA THERE, ZIM!"**

**"AND BRING MY SISTER BACK, ALIEN SCUM!"**

**"DIB, FOR THE LAST TIME, ZIM'S NOT AN ALIEN! GET THROUGH YOUR THICK, OVERSIZED SKULL!"**

Zim, Gaz, and the phantom guardian ignored the various cries and shouts from Zim's fellow students as they conversed more. This is something of a tough descision for Zim.

"I want to go too! Is that possible?" Gaz requested.

**"It say '1'. More than one come…"** the phantom said with a small pause. ** "Maybe bad thing happen to two ones!"**

Zim stared at the phantom for a moment. It only took him a moment to reach a descision as he began walking towards the exit to the classroom. At first it looked to everyone, the phantom included, that Zim was going to leave and decline the offer. But that possibility was nixed when Zim just set Gaz down outside the room as a barrier was quickly erected to prevent interference. Zim looked up at the rest of the students with a big grin on his face.

"I'm going."

**"NO! SOMEONE GET HIM OUT!"** cried one student.

**"I CAN'T GET IN ANYMORE!"** yelled another. **"THAT MONSTER WAS TALKIN' ABOUT ANOTHER WORLD!"**

**"YOU DON'T MEAN THAT DREAM WORLD ZIM'S ALWAYS BABBLING ON ABOUT!?"**

Zim just closed his eyes as he kept grinning. Everyone else may think he's crazy, but in his opinion you need to be a little crazy to survive in this day and age.

"This is probably just another dream! But if I don't go now, I may never get another chance!" laughed Zim. "Zim must do it!"

As Zim began to walk back over the the gate, the rest of the students began shouting things like "Someone get the teacher!" or "I must be dreaming!". But Gaz knows that they're not dreaming. She gave Zim a sad smile as she knows this will be the last time she sees him for a long time. And if he ever comes back, he'll likely come back a changed man. Not the same, vertically challenged boy that she's come to know and love.

"Zim… you better promise me that you'll tell me all about it when you get back!"

The boy just gave her a big smile and a thumbs up as he continued on his way.

'_My heart's racing! A whole other world's out there! Just what will I find-'_

Reaching out with one hand, the doors creaked open as Zim walked through, following the white light that illuminated the dark room.

'_-BEYOND THESE DOORS?'_

After leaving for the other world, the doors closed behind Zim. The phantom disappeared as the shadows vanished, leaving the room the same as it was before this whole thing occured. Albeit a little bit messy.

"Zim? He's gone?" Dib asked.

"I guess this is what they mean when they say 'dreams come true'." Gaz said.

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_**...In the Other World…**_

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The pillar of light faded away as the relic shattered. This took the black haired man and a little creature by his side by surprise. But not an unpleasant surprise.

"The Dimension Arm's been destroyed!" said the creature.

"Superb. That means the summons worked."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, hoping and praying to every deity that's willing to listen that his gamble will pay off.

"The other-worlder is coming here!"

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_***To Be Continued…***_

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_**Poll Question: In my story, Marchen Awakens Romance - Invader Zim Edition, which of these do you want Zim to have as Babbo's third form? (The choice with the most votes by the time Zim and his group begin their training wins.)**_

_**A Gargoyle (like Ginta had)**_

_**A Phoenix**_

_**A Tyrannosaurus Rex**_

_**A Wolf**_

_**A Dragon**_

_**A Pegasus**_

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_**I hope everyone enjoyed this new chapter. Please don't forget to review, take a chance to vote on the poll, and I hope you all have a blessed day.**_


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